On This Winter's Night
by skygirl55
Summary: A Caskett Holiday tale; set mid-Season 4.
1. Chapter 1

**On This Winter's Night**

A Caskett Holiday Tale - Set mid-Season 4

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Merry Christmas Everyone! My gift to you is this 3 part holiday fic. Enjoy!

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**ONE**

Sitting at her desk in the NYPD's Twelfth Precinct building, Kate Beckett sighed, dropped her pen down onto the desk, and reached for her computer mouse. She clicked into her email inbox but saw that there were no new messages—just like the six other times she'd checked that day. Twisting her lips to the side, she gazed at the inbox intently for several more seconds, as though that alone would give her something to do, but no new messages popped up, so she turned back to the New York Times crossword puzzle she'd been working on.

Being bored at work truly was a rare occasion for Kate—and she didn't like it. True, being bored at work meant no one had been murdered, and that certainly was a good thing, but as someone who liked to stay busy, being bored was not something she favored. Normally, she always had something to do whether that was paperwork, organizing and cleaning up her case files, preparing for a court appearance, or simply taking a look through those "rainy day projects" she always had sitting around but never seemed to have enough time to get to. Unfortunately, on day three of a slow streak at work, she had already been through most if not all of those items, but that was okay; she wasn't going to complain about a little down time around the holidays.

At the sound of commotion by the elevator, Kate glanced up and looked over her right shoulder to see a trio of uniformed officers clustered together. From the way they were gazing at the tallest man's wrist, Kate could only assume a new Christmas gift was being displayed. She smiled inwardly and then turned back to her newspaper.

Generally, the day after Christmas was almost as sparsely staffed as the day of. Many residents of New York were still out of town visiting family or taking elaborate trips while their children were on a break from school. Plus, many of the officers themselves took vacation, which meant finding someone to cover shifts always was a challenge. That was one of the main reason Kate stepped up every year and offered to work Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after. It was her little holiday tradition—and one she was quite proud of.

Ten minutes later, deciding she needed to check if anything needed her attention, Kate was just about to click back into her email inbox when she had the sensation that someone was approaching from behind. She glanced over her left shoulder that time, and her jaw fell open with shock. She still hadn't recovered enough to say anything when her partner slid into "his" chair, the grin-ever present on his face, as he said, "Good morning, Beckett."

"C-Castle." She stammered, still stunned. "What…what are you doing here?"

He shrugged one shoulder and gave her that dopey little half-grin she loved to see. "Just thought I'd come and say hi."

"Oh. Hi." She smiled softly, then rotated in her chair so she could face him more directly. "Shouldn't you be at home playing with all the toys Santa brought you?"

His eyes sparkled. "Oh, well, I did plenty of playing yesterday so I thought I'd get out of the house, stretch my legs, and see how you're doing. Quiet day yesterday?"

"Very," she said, her tone now slightly suspicious. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy seeing him—she always did. She just wondered why he'd bother leaving his home at all on the day after Christmas, let alone before eleven a.m. "How was your Christmas?"

"Ah…presents, food, wine, laughter…my favorite day of the year!"

"Of course." She murmured. Then, a bit louder, she said, "So what are Martha and Alexis up to today?"

"Ah, well." He leaned his forearm against her desk as he continued. "Actually, they both left this morning to go skiing."

She nodded knowingly. So that's why he'd come to visit; he was bored. Or lonely. Or both. "I see. And you didn't want to go with them?"

He shook his head gently. "Sorry; I should have explained that better. Alexis and a few of her classmates left early this morning to go up to Vermont; Mother left a little bit ago for an acting retreat upstate."

The detective hummed under her breath. Evidently, it wasn't just that he was bored her lonely, but left out! (Though she imagined even if his mother had invited him along, he probably would have turned her down.) "Are they both gone through the first of the year?"

"Alexis is gone three nights and Mother should be back New Years' Eve."

Kate crossed her legs and tapped her fingertips against her desk. "Well, then I guess you'll just have to make a snowman all by yourself tomorrow."

Castle's face lit up slightly, presumably at the prospect of the white fluff, which had not quite arrived in time for Christmas. "Oh yeah. The news sounded pretty serious about that blizzard, right? Actually, this morning I heard—oh! Sorry!" He apologized quickly when his foot bumped into a bag on the floor and sent it into the bottom of her chair.

She waved off his concern and instead moved the small roller bag to the other side of the desk so it wouldn't be in the way of his feet again.

"You have…luggage with you?" Castle questioned when she sat back down in her seat.

"Oh. Yeah." She huffed out a breath and rubbed her hand down the side of her neck at the topic of the irritation she'd been dealing with for the prior twenty hours. "A pipe burst in the apartment beside mine sometime yesterday morning or afternoon."

That had been a fun surprise for her after her Christmas shift. Of course, her neighbors weren't home and thus the burst pipe hadn't been reported in a timely manner that might have prevented some of the damage. Instead, it had only been reported to the building's super after the couple in the apartment below her neighbor's reported that their ceiling was dripping. As it was, she could hardly complain. The damage to her place was minimal compared to the other two. Only one three-foot section of her wall needed replaced. None of her belongings had been touched by the seeping water; she merely had to deal with an inconvenience for a night or two.

Deep creases appeared in Castle's brow as he said, "Oh Beckett, I'm sorry."

She shrugged in response. "It's fine...nothing of mine was ruined. They just need to replace some of the drywall, but they have huge fans in there that need to run to dry everything up and I just figured I'd crash here tonight."

"Nonsense—you'll stay with me."

Her heart jumped with surprise, since her comment had not at all been a hint for an invitation. "Castle, no. Here's fine."

"It's absolutely not fine. I have a huge empty apartment—and it's not like you haven't stayed with me before," he pointed out.

Kate pressed her lips together tightly, as she had fond memories of the brief time she stayed with the Castles after her apartment blew up and she was searching for another place to stay. That, too, had been a last-minute occurrence that she felt some guilt over, but it had also been a far more urgent situation. "I just don't want to be an inconvenience you," she told him honestly.

Castle gasped and placed his right hand centrally on his chest, acting as though she'd offended his ancestors. "Kathrine Beckett—you could never be an inconvenience!"

Chuckling slightly, she nodded her head. "Okay, I'll stay with you tonight, Castle."

He grinned. "Perfect. Now what would you like for dinner? Something special?"

She groaned, of course he was doing more than simply offering clean sheets and towel. "Castle, you don't have to make me dinner. I can just pickup takeout on my way over."

"It's really not a problem. I don't mind, at all. Actually, you know what? I'll just get a bunch of stuff since it might be pretty messy tomorrow with the snow. That way we're prepared."

"Please don't go to any trouble on my account."

"No trouble at all. See you…after your shift?"

She bobbed her head. "I should be at your place by six."

His smile widened. "Excellent. I'll see you then."

As he moved to stand, she stopped him by saying, "Castle. Thanks for letting me stay with you."

He winked at her. "Don't worry about it; see you later."

Kate watched him walk towards the elevators and only turned back to her desk when he disappeared from view. Turning back to her computer, she found herself feeling surprisingly at ease. She had not been looking forward to a night spent on the couch in the breakroom, or propped up in a conference room chair but would have accepted it nonetheless. Thankfully, her partner had been the kind, generous man she'd come to know over the prior year and she could say she was actually looking forward to sharing dinner with him and maybe a glass of wine or two while they had some good conversation. Somehow, she thought it might turn out to be the perfect day-after-Christmas she never knew she wanted.

* * *

Picking up the last remaining pillow from atop the dresser, Castle fluffed it and then plopped it onto the center of the guest bed. Standing back, he planted his fists at his hips, and nodded in approval of his own bed-making skills. He glanced around the room one more time making sure everything was in place, then he crossed the hall to the guest bath to confirm that yes, he had set out clean towels on the vanity. Now, everything was ready for his expected house guest.

As he returned to the main floor of his apartment, Castle smiled at the thought of Kate Beckett coming to stay in his guest room once more. Nearly two full years had passed since she last stayed with him and in his opinion that was far too long. Given his feelings, waking up under the same roof as her was one of his deepest desires. Of course, in those fantasies they were sharing not just an apartment, but a bed as well. He acknowledged that activity would not be happening that evening, but he remained confident they'd get there—sooner rather than later.

In the kitchen, Castle flicked on the light for the oven and peaked at the lasagna he was baking. He couldn't yet see any bubbling around the edges, which was fine; Kate wasn't due to arrive for at least another fifteen minutes, and he wanted her to have a chance to settle in before they ate. Turning the oven light off again he then walked over to the refrigerator so he could begin prepping the salad greens he'd purchase to go with their carb-heavy comfort food.

As he busied himself rinsing lettuce, he mentally prepared himself for how that evening might go. They would eat, share some wine, hopefully Kate would share a story or two about the last few days since he hadn't seen her. Then he was going to suggest a movie. Something Christmasy perhaps, since the spirit was still in the air. Or maybe just something cheesy to finish off the day on a lighter note. He really didn't care very much either way.

When a vision of himself and Kate sitting on the couch together sharing a blanket over their laps flashed into his mind, Castle forced himself to remember to slow down and take it easy. He knew his relationship with Kate was a marathon not a sprint. She had asked him for time, and he was giving it to her. He didn't mind, either, because when their relationship actually began, he wanted her to be in the right head space; he wanted her to be all in, just like he was. He was willing to give her the time, it was just difficult around the holidays with the air filled with so much love and joy. He wanted to share it all with her so they could make each other happy, but he knew that for the time being happiness through friendship was all she was able to give. They would be sharing dinner together that evening and presumably breakfast the following morning and that was more than enough for the time being.

Just after he placed the now-prepped salad back into the refrigerator he heard a knock at the door and nearly skipped across the apartment with glee. He took a moment to straighten the collar on his shirt and plaster on his biggest grin before whipping open the door and saying, "Beckett! C'mon in—make yourself at home!"

She smiled softly and picked up her suitcase as she crossed the threshold. "Thanks Castle. Once again, I really apprecia—woah!" The gratitude was stolen from her lips the moment she stepped around him and was able to see the apartment without obstruction. Considering the central-most figure visible from the door was the impressive nine-foot Christmas tree, the writer could understand her being stunned. Admittedly, he may have gone a tiny bit overboard with the thematic decorating that year.

"Oh wow, Castle." Kate turned to him, her eyes wide like a young child approaching Santa's lap for the first time. "This is…very festive."

He chuckled as he shut and locked the apartment door. "I told you, Beckett; Christmas is my favorite day of the year."

Ever since he was a kid, Christmas had been Castle's favorite day for all the typical childhood reasons; presents, all the cookies he could eat, and not having to go to school for a week. As he matured, Castle's love of Christmas evolved into appreciation not just for the receiving, but for the giving. He loved the time of year when everyone was just a little bit nicer to one another and went out of their way to be thoughtful and generous. He loved buying and giving gifts to see the joy and gratitude on another's face. He loved spending an uninterrupted day with his family when they shared meals and stories and simply appreciated one another. And of course: the presents and cookies.

Leaving her luggage by the entryway, Kate took a few steps towards the living area and gazed around at the decorations, which were centralized around the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows that lined one wall of his apartment. After half a minute she turned back to him looking a little dazed and said, "It's just…so much. I mean, it is beautiful—like a magazine, or something."

"Well thank you; Mother and I put a lot of effort into it. Let me guess…" He took two steps closer to her, still smiling. "You just have one of those little trees about this big," he indicated the size with his hands hovering above one another about eighteen inches apart, "right on top of your coffee table."

She dipped her chin and let a chunk of hair fall down into her face while mumbling, "Something like that."

"Well, why don't you go ahead and settle in? You know where the guest room is. Dinner should be ready in maybe another twenty minutes or so."

"Can I help with anything?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. Just relax."

She nodded. "Okay, thanks Castle."

He watched her disappear up the stairs and then returned to the kitchen with notable spring in his step; it was going to be a great evening—he just knew it!

* * *

After finishing off possibly a bit too much of Castle's delicious lasagna, Kate offered to help him clean up, but he insisted there was no need since the plates would go into the dishwasher and the rest of the lasagna into the refrigerator for the following day. Instead, she wandered into the living area of the apartment to take over what was clearly an over-the-top holiday display.

Given that her partner had the tendency to be completely overzealous and childlike at times, it did not surprise her that his décor followed suit. Still, when she had listened to him describe his huge tree and all the bows, garland, and other décor the week after thanksgiving, she had not quite been able to picture _this_. It truly was extraordinary.

Kate approached the enormous tree cautiously, as though one might approach a display in a fancy department store they were afraid to bump or touch in any way. The tree's overall color scheme was red and gold, but there were hints of silver and some ivory ribbons as well. The tree's red skirt was easily visible beneath, and Kate couldn't help but wonder just how many presents were stuffed beneath it forty-eight hours earlier.

When something interesting caught her eye, Kate walked around to the other side of the tree and gazed at one of the dangling ornamental balls. From a distance she'd thought it was elaborately painted; in actuality, the ball was either sheer glass or plastic and had a wintery scene inside of it made with delicate little figurines. It was so lovely that it made her want to grab some hot cocoa and curl up under a blanket.

"You like that one? Sorry—didn't mean to startle."

Though she jumped slightly at the sound of the writer's voice, Kate shook off his apology easily. She was merely focused on the decorations and thought he was still in the kitchen. "These are all so beautiful."

Castle pointed to the ball with the scene inside, "Alexis picked that one out. Actually she helped me with most of these…two—no, three—years ago. The tree used to be full of all kinds of handmade decorations that she had made in school or at a Christmas craft event, or that we made together. A few years back she decided that our tree should be more sophisticated and less childlike. Of course, I was crushed, but she managed to talk me into it."

Kate smiled then turned back to the tree where just above her head hung a small figurine depicting Han Solo wearing a Santa hat. If she was not mistaken, she believed she saw a similar C3P0 on the other side of the tree. Pointing to Han she said, "I see there are still some childlike elements here."

"Those are mind."

"Oh, I know," she replied. Then they shared a laugh.

Slipping his hands into his pants pockets, Castle rocked back on his heels and asked, "So what's on your tree, Beckett? Just some lights and tinsel."

She shook her head and then tucked a chunk of hair back behind her ear when it slipped out. "No… I, um, I don't have a tree, just a couple poinsettias."

Instantly, the writer looked horrified—as though she'd canceled Christmas altogether. "But…what do you put your presents under?"

Her brow wrinkled slightly that the placement of the presents seemed to be his main concern. "It's just me, Castle; Santa doesn't need a place to leave gifts."

His expression turned serious when he said, "Everyone needs a place to put presents."

Kate shrugged one shoulder and turned away. Truly, she didn't feel like she was missing out by not having a tree. Sure, the Castle loft, which oozed holiday cheer from every corner, felt far more festive and cheerful than her place did, but that didn't mean there was anything wrong with her apartment. Everywhere she went in the city there were decorations. And…well, she still felt like keeping Christmas at a little bit of a distance.

Almost as though he'd picked up on her thoughts, Castle took a step closer and said softly, "Sorry, am I pushing too much? I just love Christmas."

She reached out and gave his arm a little squeeze. "I know, and it's very sweet. Christmas is just…different without my mom around." She folded her arms across her chest as though trying to cover up the fissure that still remained in her heart and had every day since that cold January night when she was only nineteen years old. Overall, it had improved, and the kindness and warmth she received from her partner aided in that, but around the holidays the wound always seemed to crack back open again.

A look of genuine sympathy crossed his face. "Oh, Kate. I'm so sorry."

She nodded. "It's just… she died so close to Christmas. Even though it was technically after Christmas, it still feels tainted somehow. Not tainted just… I don't know. Like I haven't quite found a reason to get back into the spirit yet. I have my own tradition—working so those with families don't have to, and I love it; I do. And my dad and I still exchange small gifts, but…"

"It's not a family Christmas," the writer wisely concluded.

Nibbling at her bottom lip, she nodded. "Something like that, yeah."

Taking a step back, Castle gestured towards the tree. "You could have spent Christmas with us, if I'd known I-"

"No, no," she said quickly, holding out her hands to stop what was probably a very kind, but unnecessary statement from him. "Don't worry about it for one second. I was happy with my Christmas."

"Still…you could have at least come for dinner."

She smiled softly. "That's sweet but I'm still not really family."

His expression not wavering at all, Castle said, "Yes you are."

Kate felt heat creeping up the back of her neck at his words. From the way he was gazing at her, it was clear her believed the statement whole-heartedly, but…were they there yet? They were on the cusp of something for sure—something that would be _more_ and something that, she finally admitted to herself, could very well lead to family, but right then in that moment? Perhaps instead of romantic family he simply meant that their partnership made them family in a friendship way.

Deciding not to dwell on it too much, Kate changed the subject with, "So, uh, what was your favorite gift from this year's haul?"

His eyes sparkled and he said, "Oh, just a little something I got myself. Hold on."

He jogged around her and into his office while she patiently waited by the tree. About a minute later, an object zoomed out of the office, swooped, and nearly clipped her shoulder with its rotating blades. "Oh! Castle!" She groaned while ducking down to the floor, unsure of where the flying black helicopter would swoop next.

"Sorry, sorry." The writer emerged from the office with the controls in his hands and guided the copter towards the entryway. "I'm still trying to get the hang of flying it. Wanna try?"

She refused the controller he offered her. "No, I don't want to…accidentally fly it into something."

He shrugged. "I have."

Shaking he head she insisted, "Its fine. But thank you."

"Sure." Castle flew the copter back towards them, landed it a bit roughly on the coffee table, then went over to pick it up. Once it was safely back in his office, he asked, "You want to…watch a movie?"

"You don't have to entertain me," she pointed out. It was just one night, and she was more than capable of spending it by herself in the guest room.

"I know. I'm just offering to spend time with you. I mean, I'd like to spend time with you. Here. Away from dead bodies."

She chuckled at how adorable he was being. Truth be told she wanted to hang out with him away from dead bodies, too. Deciding to make a joke out of it, she commented, "It certainly smells better in here… like a Christmas catalog, actually."

"Mmm I try. Oh, and actually…" He strolled into the kitchen, opened his refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine. Holding it up to her he said, "There's still two glasses worth left in the fancy holiday wine I got. Wanna share?"

She nodded. "Sure. I'd love to."

A moment later he carried the two glasses with him into the siting area and handed her one. Then, with a wink he gestured for her to join him on the couch saying, "C'mon; I'll even let you pick the movie."

Laughing, she said beside him. "Well how can I say no to that?"

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Thanks for reading - the next part will be up soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO**

The following morning, feeling quite well-rested, Kate emerged from the guest bedroom shielding a yawn with the back of her hand. As she was not in her own apartment, she felt obligated to be dressed in more than just her pajamas, so she's substituted jeans for her flannel pants and threw an NYPD hoodie on over her t-shirt—at least for the purposes of getting coffee. Once she had a little caffeine she'd dress more appropriately for the day.

At the top of the stairs she caught the faintest whiff of Castle's delightfully dark brew and felt immediately more motivated to descend the stairs. As she hurried, her hand grazing against the railing, she took note of just how bright the apartment was. Incredibly bright white, actually; far more than would have come from the lamps and overhead lighting in his apartment. When she realized the source of the brightness was the large bank of windows she finally remembered: snow! It was supposed to have snowed the night before and evidently it had been enough to pile up on the roofs of the surrounding buildings and reflect in some morning brightness.

"Morning," she said as she stepped into the kitchen and smiled at the writer, who had his back to her facing the coffee machine. When he turned around, she could see his hair was a bit bed-tussled and it made her smile. Actually, it made her want to walk over and comb her fingers over it to smooth it down, but she pushed that urge away and instead thumbed towards the window saying, "Guess that snow didn't end up missing us."

Castle gave a little chuckle and said, "Why don't you go check it out?"

She looked at him with deep sincerity and said, "Coffee first."

He smiled and offered, "I'll get it and bring it to you—just go look."

Her brow wrinkled, thinking his behavior was a bit odd, but it was too early to argue with him, so she walked over to the window. The closer she got she noticed a steady stream of flakes were still descending from the sky. She did not completely remember the weather report from the night before, but dawn flurries seemed plausible, even though the bulk of the snow was supposed to come overnight. Curious as to how many inches they received, she peered out the window and gasped. "Oh my god—where's the street?!" she proclaimed for all she could see below was a blanket of white.

The writer hummed from behind her. "Ah, yeah about that. According to the news report, the storm shifted overnight. There's almost two feet out there."

She whirled around, jaw agape. "TWO FEET?"

"Yep. And we're supposed to get another four to six inches this morning along with some high winds meaning there will be blizzard conditions with a possible white out."

Kate took the coffee mug from his outstretched hand as her sleepy brain tried to process all the information he was providing. "So, we're…we're snowed in?"

"So it would appear. Do you have to go into work?"

"Oh um…" She hesitated and then immediately reached into her back pocket for her phone. Her shift started at nine that morning, but if there were truly blizzard conditions expected, then perhaps the city would be under a state of snow emergency, which meant that non-essential personnel did not have to report. Only in very specific police emergencies was she considered "essential" and she was pretty sure snow didn't qualify. One look in her inbox confirmed it.

Tucking her phone back into her pocket she smiled at him, "No; looks like I have the day off."

He smiled back. "Excellent. Just as well because the news said the subways weren't going to be operating as normal and clearly neither are cabs or buses."

Chewing on her bottom lip, Kate once again glanced out towards the winter wonderland. She drummed her fingers on her coffee mug and considered. Normally she would have taken a bus home from Castle's place as the subway was a bit out of her way. If for some reason there was service interruption, or if it was just a nice day, she could have walked, but not if the conditions were going to be that bad. "Well, maybe by lunchtime the winds will have calmed enough for me to walk ho-"

"Oh, no, no." He interrupted, his expression showing concern. "No, of course not—I wasn't trying to kick you out, merely filling you in on all the details to confirm that we are, in fact, snowed in."

She nodded, then felt the urge to apologize for her presence.

"Why would you be sorry?" he responded. "I'm not at all. This is so much more fun than being snowed in alone! You're not disappointed to spend an extra day here, right?"

She shook her head. While being snowed in alone at her apartment would have afforded her some quiet relaxation (well, maybe not quiet with those fans running, but relaxation) she couldn't say she was ever disappointed to spend time with Castle. "No; not disappointed."

"Good. Now, how about I make us some breakfast, and then we can play a rousing game of Scrabble…or would you rather not hang out with me?" he added a bit more hesitantly.

Kate nearly laughed at how concerned he looked. "I always want to hang out with you, Castle. However…I think I know better than to play scrabble with you."

He grinned. "Why ever would you think that? I will annihilate you, of course, but as long as you know that beforehand…"

She rolled her eyes and took a sip of coffee. "As fun as that sounds, maybe later? I think I'd just like to read for a while… but I will definitely help you with breakfast first."

His expression turned a bit more boyish and Kate found it positively adorable. "Yeah? Okay. I have bacon, eggs, the makings for pancakes…oh, uh, French toast, I think we could come up with something for that…and of course there's cold cereal if none of that appeals to you."

She couldn't help but laugh at his final statement. "If none of that appeals? Castle you just listed the makings of a buffet!"

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Beckett."

"I agree. So how about we go all in on the snow day? You make the pancakes; I'll do the bacon?"

He nodded. "Works for me!"

* * *

Several hours later, sitting at the desk in his office, Castle knew he should have been working on Nikki Heat's next chapter, but he simply couldn't. He was too distracted by his excitement over the wonderful day he was having—and it was barely ten a.m.!

He woke up to a snow day, which already raised the bar very high, but on top of that Beckett was sleeping in his apartment and they were snowed in together! Those facts alone could have easily slid the day into his top ten ever list, but then they made breakfast together. Together! In his kitchen! She was manning the bacon while he mixed pancake batter. All the while they just…talked. They conversed a little about cooking, and some more about breakfast food opinions, but nothing too serious. It was just talking; casual, friendly talking and it felt so natural. Like they'd be making breakfast together every snow day for the rest of their lives (and, frankly, if he had his way, that would be their exact fate).

Once their bellies were full and the kitchen had been cleaned up, Kate grabbed a book and retreated to the window bench to read. By that point, the snow had begun to pick up pace and now, not quite an hour later, it was impossible to see the building across the street due to the swirls of white.

Leaning back in his desk chair, Castle could just barely see Kate through the bookshelf walls. He smiled softly, thoroughly enjoying having her in his space, even if they weren't really interacting with each other. He watched her for perhaps a few minutes longer than he should have, then decided he needed to be mobile to think of Nikki's next steps, so as he often did, he began to pace the area of his office in front of the windows while squeezing a stress ball shaped like Darth Vader's head.

He hadn't yet been pacing long enough for an idea to come to him when his whole body shivered. Walking close to the window, he held out his hand against the glass and felt as though the positively glacial exterior was creeping inside. The windows were insulated, but with snow and heavy wind there was only so much they could do. He turned towards his bedroom intent on grabbing a sweatshirt when his thoughts turned to Kate. She was sitting up against those windows; she must have been freezing!

In his bedroom, Castle grabbed both his sweatshirt and an extra knit blanket from the high shelves in his walk-in closet. He put the extra layer on and then walked directly out to the main room and approached Kate without a word. Stopping just beside her, he unfolded the blanket and tossed it over her legs. When she looked up at him, he said, "Thought you might be cold."

She smiled and tugged the blanket up higher into her lap. "Thank you. It is a little chilly sitting here, but I couldn't bring myself to move; it's like reading in a snow globe."

He hummed in response as her statement seemed quite accurate. Then, after a moment he asked, "What's your favorite snow memory, Beckett?"

"Snow memory?" she echoed with an arched brow.

"Yeah, you know, a memory that involves snow. Building your first snow man…getting your tongue stuck to a lamp post…."

She gave him a sideways glance. "Did you get your tongue stuck to something Castle?"

He laughed. "No; I learned that lesson from the movies, thanks very much. So, what's your favorite?"

"Hmm…probably one of the Christmases we spent at my Dad's cabin. I think I was about eight or nine and my grandparents—his parents—were there too. It didn't snow on Christmas, and I was so mad, but it snowed the day after and I wanted to run right outside and play, but my parents forced me into snow gear. Then I made a snowman with my grandfather."

He smiled at the sweet story. "Not many opportunities to make snowmen here in Manhattan."

"No, not really." She sighed. "How about you? What's your favorite snow memory?"

"Well…" He slipped his hands into the pocket of his sweatshirt and considered. "When I was younger I would have told you it was back in boarding school when we used snow to make a huge penis on the hood of the principal's car…"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course you did that."

Castle grinned at the memory at how red the principal's face had become when he was yelling about the incident, but only for a moment. Turning more serious he said, "But no, my adult answer is…Alexis's first snow. Well not her _first_ snow because she was only about four months old then and we only had her outside for a minute or two…but the next year when she was about sixteen months. I bundled her up in a snow suit and these adorable white boots and we went outside. Watching the snowflakes land on her cheeks and have her try to lick the snow out of the air…yeah, that was magic." As he spoke, Castle felt the heart-warming tingles of that moment and could hardly believe it was over sixteen years earlier. The time had truly flown by.

"Well that's a much better answer than snow penis." She grinned then when he gave her a look she laughed and said, "It's very sweet, Castle; that's a good snow memory."

"Thanks. Now I'll let you get back to your reading; I didn't mean to interrupt."

"I don't mind." She assured him.

Then, with one last smile, he turned back into his office knowing he probably wouldn't be focusing too much on Nikki Heat.

* * *

"So, uh, you wanna play that Scrabble game now?"

Castle stopped at the edge of the kitchen and looked at his partner a bit surprised that she was offering to play the game with him; honestly, he didn't think she would agree—not because she would be a sore loser about it (when he ultimately defeated her), but he wasn't sure actually wanted to play a board game with him in lieu of more relaxation time by herself. But if she was offering…

"Um, yeah, okay."

"We don't have to." She added a bit more hesitantly.

"No, no it's not that. I just…" He glanced wistfully towards the window where the snowfall had been reduced to a casual flurry. The heaviest snow had died down just before lunch, and the whole time Castle ate his soup he felt a strong desire to go outside and take in the world after a rare Manhattan blizzard. "I was actually thinking about going out for a walk."

Her brows rose significantly. "In the snow?!"

With the shrug of his right shoulder he said, "Well, yeah. I mean: how often do you get to see New York covered in over two feet of snow?"

She nodded. "Fair enough, but I don't think any of the sidewalks will be cleared. You might not have a very nice walk. Maybe you can go after we play."

He considered this for a moment. The game usually only took around an hour, so it seemed a reasonable trade off, but as long as they were making deals… "Okay: but only if you come with me on the walk."

She nodded. "Okay. If you win, I'll go on a walk with you."

He quirked one of his eyebrows. "_If_ I win? Beckett, I'm not sure how aware of this you are, but: my job is literally all about words."

She took a step forward, challenging. "Yeah, I'd heard something like that."

"Then you must know that there is no chance you'll beat me."

Her teeth nipped at her bottom lip in that way that made his heart flutter. "No chance, huh? Then…you won't have a problem agreeing to my term."

"Which is?"

She stared him down for about twenty seconds, which was long enough to make the back of his neck prickle at both the concern and excitement for what she had in mind. "If I win…You have to help me with case paperwork for the next three cases. Legitimately help—by typing up field notes and copying over duplicate forms."

He arched a brow, not exactly thrilled by this term as it sounded extremely boring. "Notes and paperwork…how about just two cases but on the third I'll buy everyone donuts and coffee."

She didn't blink for several seconds, but then ultimately held out her hand to shake. "Deal."

He chuckled as they shook hands. "I don't know why I'm concerned; you'll never win."

"I guess we'll see," she retorted.

* * *

"So…are you ready to admit your defeat?" Castle asked exactly fifty-five minutes later after Kate had been staring at their mostly filled in board and her meager supply of leftover letters without moving for five minutes.

She grumbled and pushed her tray of letters aside. "Yes…but you have to admit it was a close game!"

"Very close," he agreed. She he'd her own quite well—not that he expected any different from her. She was extraordinary. He also hazarded to guess that she didn't play too much Scrabble. It was definitely a game one got better at the more they played—not to mention the more they were familiar with some obscure vocabulary. He very much looked forward to playing with her again, particularly if they were going to bet on the outcome.

Arching his back in a stretch, Castle began to put away the scrabble board, but Kate told him she would finish up, so he excused himself to the bathroom. On his way back to the living room, he could see that the snow had nearly stopped outside, which reminded him of his original purpose that afternoon. "So…are you ready for that walk?"

After putting the lid on the scrabble box, Kate stood and turned to face him wearing a cautious expression. "It's not that I don't want to go, Castle. The problem is I don't think the boots I wore here will tolerate two feet of snow; I don't think they're that waterproof."

He stood quickly and walked over to the closet by the entryway. If proper attire was all that was stopping her, he could surely fix that! "Alexis has an older pair of snow boots somewhere…if not here, they're up in her room. You could wear those."

"What size?"

"Ah, seven or seven and a half."

"No, sorry; those are too small."

He glanced over his shoulder and saw she now stood at the edge of the sitting area with her hands down in her jean pockets.

"Hmm okay—what about my boots? Too big, I'm sure, but passable?"

He heard her laugh as she approached, but he handed her the boots anyway. She examined them saying, "I don't know, they're probably wide but…oh." She slid her foot down into the boot and then moved her foot from side to side. "Actually, this isn't that—wait." She looked up at him, a bit incredulous. "How are you're feet this small?"

"Small? My feet aren't small; they're normal sized." He instead while knowing full well they were not. He knew his feet were small on average for his height—it had been that way all his life—but he wasn't going to point it out to her just in case she thought that was an indicator of…other things (because it definitely wasn't!).

Smiling she said, "Maybe for someone shorter than you. But actually…I think these'll work if I put on an extra pair of socks. Maybe heavier socks."

"I can provide those as well. Oh, and gloves—you can't wear those thin leather ones." He reached into the closet and pulled out Alexis's spare coat, which thankfully had thicker wool mittens in the pocket. He then handed them over to Beckett.

"Jeez Castle," she commented as she took the items, "you gonna give me a coat and hat too?"

"Oh, do you need a hat?"

"No!" she laughed. "I'm teasing you, but I do appreciate all the winter wear. Just give me a few minutes and then we can go, okay?"

He grinned as he watched her disappear up the stairs. He was going for a walk in the snow with Beckett! This really was the best snow day ever!

* * *

As Kate Beckett slowly made her way down Broome Street, she found herself positively amazed by the atmosphere around her. With the sidewalks only minimally cleared, and mostly covered with a large amount of snow packed down by foot prints of both humans and dogs, it was a bit of a slog to make it though, though manageable thanks to Castle's boots. Despite the less than desirable path, it was astounding to see just about every surface of the city covered in so much white powder. Every planter, every trash can, every newspaper vending machine had snow comically stacked on top of it. She didn't think she'd ever seen so much snow in the city in all her years; it was astounding.

Though the bulk of the precipitation was over, every now and then the sky shook out a few more flurries. Or perhaps they weren't falling from clouds as much as they were scooting off the roofs and awnings of buildings due to the light breeze that occasionally drifted through the air. Whether the snow was failing or simply re-settling, Kate found herself smiling every time a flake drifted down in front of her; it added to the magic.

"This is nice, right?" her companion pointed out. "It's really not that cold. You're not cold, right?"

"No I'm fine. I'm just…It's so quiet." As she had witnessed snow in Manhattan before, Kate had previously experienced walking down streets with very little to no traffic, but this was on another level. There was no traffic, vehicular or pedestrian, and seemingly no one around at all; like they had the whole city to themselves. On top of that, the snow seemed to insulate everything and with so much of it around she almost felt as though she was wearing earmuffs, though all she had on was a knit had that just barely covered the tips of her ears.

The writer hummed in agreement. "The city is never quiet."

"No."

They walked another half block before he turned to her and said, "Is it wrong if I say that I think it might drive me crazy if it was this quiet all the time."

She chuckled. "No, I think that too, but for now it's nice."

"It is. Let's…yeah, let's go this way." He grabbed ahold of her elbow and guided her to the left at the next intersection."

"What's this way?" she asked as they walked through even deeper snow that was less trodden down by pedestrians.

"There's a little park; we can build a snow man."

She laughed. "Seriously?"

He gazed at her with what was obviously a very serious expression. "Why not?"

She shrugged. "I…don't know. We're adults."

"Pst." He made a flippant noise while waving his gloved hand dismissively. "Anyone can build a snow man."

They walked for another few minutes before the park could be seen across the street. As there was no one else around, they just crossed in the middle of the road, and walked towards the park's entrance. As it appeared no one had really walked inside, the snow was up past Kate's knees, which made walking ridiculously challenging. Once, her oversized boot became stuck and it nearly popped off. When she grunted and struggled, Castle trudged behind her and helped her by putting his hands under her arms and half-lifting her up. With her boot free she stumbled forward and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Absolutely." He grinned. Then, pointing to a free area in between trees and benches, he said, "C'mon; you work on the head and I'll get the base."

While he crouched down to gather snow, Kate merely stared at him for a few moments, feeling a little shocked at the fact that they were actually about to make a snowman. It seemed so silly and ridiculous! Particularly since they were the only ones in the park!

Looking down at herself, Kate realized that she was completely covered in snow almost all the way up to the middle of her thighs. Considering her boots only rose to mid-calf, that meant a significant portion of her jeans were covered in frosty whiteness. She hazarded to guess if she participated in the snow man project she would become significantly more snow covered, but then again she supposed that didn't matter much. They would probably go right back to Castle's apartment after and she could put her jeans in the dryer…maybe even take a shower to warm up.

"Beckett…you're not helping…" Castle's sing-song tone roused her from her state, so she dropped down to the ground a few feet away and tried to collect enough snow to ball together to make a snow man's head.

A minute later, Kate was having difficulty getting more than a few fist-sized clumps to stick together at a time. "I don't think this is good packable snow, Castle; it's really fluffy."

"Just on top—it's heavier down at the bottom."

"Okay." She dug down a little deeper in the snow and found that he was correct. The snow towards the bottom, which would have been the precipitation the fell the night before instead of earlier that morning, was denser, but gathering it into a large ball was proving to still be a challenge.

Just as she felt she was beginning to make progress, she felt something slap up against her right arm. Since part of her hair was in the way, she wasn't entirely sure what had happened until she spotted a snow-splotch on her coat. That combined with the fact that she could see a devilish grin on the writer's face from the corner of her eye told her that he was responsible. Twisting around to face him she said, "I know you didn't just do that."

"Do what?" he responded innocently.

Grumbling, Kate ripped a chunk off her snow man's head and heaved it in his direction. Unfortunately, the ball disintegrated mid-arc and fell several feet short.

"That was just pathetic." He accused.

As a chunk of hair had fallen down into her eyes, she tilted her head back, shook the hair away from her face and then said, "I told you this wasn't packable snow!"

"Maybe not over there," he said just before pitching another snowball in her direction.

That time, prepared, she was able to deflect it away with her hand. "Castle!"

He laughed and said, "I don't know what you're complaining about Beckett. The snow over here is just fine."

"Then I guess it's better than mine."

He hummed. "Sounds like an excuse for your poor snowball making skills, but you're welcome to come over here if you think it'll make any difference."

"Poor snowball skills…I'll show you poor snowball skills…" She muttered as she clambered to her feet and began to trudge in his direction. She made it about a foot away from him and bent down to rummage around in the fluff, determined to prove that the snow wasn't that packable. As it turned out, he was on to something, because the snow in his area did seem heavier than where she'd been before, but before she could form a good enough ball to throw, she was whacked in the shoulder with another one of his grenades. Annoyed, she stood up quickly, snowball ready to be thrown, when all of a sudden he barreled into her, knocking them both into the fluff.

"Oh no—it's so cold," she whined when she found herself engulfed in a snowbank.

The writer lay beside her, laughing. "No, it's fun."

"Fun, huh?" She turned her head towards him and followed through with her hand, smashing him directly in the chin with a partially formed snowball. "Oh yeah, that was fun."

"Oh, I see how this is going to be now!" he proclaimed as he sat up and began to gather piles of snow together.

For the next few minutes they had what ended up being a rather pathetic snow battle. With the drift being so deep, neither was able to gain much traction and every time they tried to stand or even kneel, their balance was quickly lost. That didn't stop them from heaving piles of snow at each other, many of which were only loosely formed and definitely not ball shaped.

Despite the mess they were making to the previously pristine snow around them and to each other, Kate found herself laughing so hard she was almost out of breath. She forgot about the cold and how numb her knees were becoming in her now-soaked jeans. She was just…having fun.

The culmination of their little snow battle was Castle trying to throw an entire armful of snow at her, which knocked him off balance and into her. They landed in the drift with his arms on either side of her waist and one of his knees in between her thighs.

"Ooof! Castle!" She grunted out, not because he'd hurt her, but more because she was surprised. He was laughing too hard to notice her comment, though so she merely start up at him and felt the world around her begin to shift.

Staring up at Richard Castle, the man who had become her partner and friend over the prior nearly four years, Kate found herself looking at everything she ever wanted, but never knew was possible. It wasn't just the sparkle in his sky-blue eyes, the little crinkles at the tops of his cheeks from his laughter, or even the way his hair had flopped down so boyishly over his forehead. It was him—all of him; every part.

The breath hitched in her chest and somehow she knew that this—_this_—was the moment. All those years ago things may have started out rocky between them, but that was only because of how she was—closed off behind her impenetrable walls—but he'd broken through somehow and now she couldn't imagine her life without him in it. He was her partner and confidant. He made her smile and brought her coffee. He made her laugh, and joke, and play in the snow for the first time in as long as she could remember. That moment almost seemed too simple to be the one that vanished all her doubts, but it did. Her heart swelled and tears pricked her eyes and she knew; he was everything to her and she was ready to stop holding back.

"Sorry—sorry Beckett; I really didn't mean to…here c'mon. Let's get up."

For several seconds Kate was still too dazed by her revelation to realize he was trying to help her up, but ultimately she woke from her trance, took his hand, and they worked together to stand. Once they were securely upright, he tried to brush all the snow off her back but quickly said, "Wow, we're really covered. Maybe we should go back before hypothermia hits in."

Considering her knees had already begun to tremble from the cold, she wasn't about to disagree. "Yeah, sounds good."

* * *

Though he was a bit disappointed the snowman plans didn't work out, Castle was pleased with his snow excursion. Yes, it was cold, particularly now that the snow on his pants was beginning to melt and cause them to be wet—and frigid—but it was all worth it to tackle Beckett into the snow. She was being a bit quiet on their way back, so he hoped she wasn't mad at him, but perhaps she was just being quiet because she was cold. Figuring he might as well apologize just in case, Castle stopped walking and turned towards his partner.

"Hey, Kate listen, I—oh my god!" His attempt at an apology was cut off by a yelp when at that exact moment a massive pile of snow fell from overhead and landed squarely on the top of Beckett's head. Evidently it was heavy enough to cause her to stumble forward, and she would have fallen down onto her knees had he not caught her and braced her weight.

"Oh my god, Beckett—are you okay?!" He quickly lifted her up and began to brush the massive quantity of snow off her hat and shoulders.

"I…think. What…what was that?"

"I, um…" he hesitated briefly as he looked up and realized what must have happened. They were walking along below a building with a series of awnings. Unlike its companions, the one directly above them was now suspiciously void of snow. "Oh, it looks like the snow slid off that green awning up there and clobbered you. Oh man…it was a direct hit. Are you sure you're ok? Does your neck hurt?"

"No…but my head kind of does and—oh! I think snow is going down my back," she confessed with a cringe.

"Then we've got to get you back and dried off. C'mon." He grabbed her hand and began walking purposefully down the sidewalk.


	3. Chapter 3

**THREE**

As they rode up the elevator to his apartment, Castle could feel Kate trembling beside him and he began to formulate a plan. If they worked together, they could have her stripped out of her wet clothing in a minute or two, and then he'd send her directly to a hot shower—or his tub if she preferred, though the shower would be faster as it didn't take time to fill. Then, while she warmed up in there, he would make them coffee and he was pretty sure he had some microwavable heat packs lying around somewhere. He'd look for those and she could sit with them under a blanket if she still felt chilled.

When they stepped off the elevator, she stumbled, and he put his arm around her back to guide her. "Oh, Kate I'm so sorry. It was so stupid of me to tackle you into that snow…I wasn't thinking."

"'s fine Castle," she said through teeth nearly chattering. "You didn't know snow was going to fall on me."

"I know, I know, but we've got to get you warmed up."

He quickly unlocked the apartment and after kicking off his own snow-packed boots, he began to help her pull away the layers of ice-covered clothing. "You'll feel much better after a shower. And I'll get coffee started—maybe even a little snack. I've got plenty of blankets so you can feel—oh." Castle was so focused on helping her remove her icy coat that she was stunned when he felt her press her lips against the corner of his mouth. So stunned, in fact, that his initial reaction was a rather clinical one.

"Your lips are so cold, Kate. Here, wait, if you put on my coat it'll keep you warm up while I help you with-"

"Castle." She grabbed on to his hands before he could unzip his coat all the way. Her hands were freezing, but he held on tight, infinitely curious as to why she was gazing at him in such a devoted way. In all his life he never could have predicted what came out of her lips next.

"I'm in love with you."

"You…" He actually found himself leaning away from pure shock. His heart rate spiked to triple digits and her merely stared at her, wondering if he was having some sort of hallucination. "You…you love…" He repeated dumbly as his brain tried to process. She loved him? She loved him!? That was amazing, and incredible, and—oh…what if she had a concussion? What if that lump of snow that fell on her had been heavy enough to rattle her brain?

"Kate are you sure you're—"

She cut him off by pressing her mouth against his, that time giving him a proper kiss. After the instant shock of her cold lips wore off, Castle found himself leaning into her and letting out a small groan. "Kate…" he sighed when their lips separated. When he realized his eyes were closed, he opened them to see that hers were sparkling. Her gaze was not entirely new, for she had been known to give him such a sappy look during one of their highly emotional moments, but there was something different about it. It took him a moment to put his finger on it, then he realized: it wasn't fleeing. This gaze was strong and steady and…permanent.

Feeling his heart swell so much he feared it might pop out of his throat he sighed, "I love you, too."

She grinned a bit wider and dropped her hands from his, returning to the task of removing her now-soaked coat. He unzipped his own coat, dropped it to the floor, and kicked it away before dropping down to help her with her boots. Once they were both sock-footed, she grabbed his arm and encouraged him to follow her, to which he dumbly asked, "Where are we going?"

She threw him a look over her shoulder and said, "Don't you want to help me warm up?"

"Shit," he muttered beneath his breath as he felt a significant portion of his blood begin to flow southward. God—was this really happening? Or had he been the one hit by an awning full of snow and now he was having some sort of bizarre hallucination?

By the time they crossed the threshold of his bedroom, Kate had dropped his hand so she could reach down and peel the sweater up over her head. When the navy-blue item landed on the floor of his bedroom, Castle looked down at it and decided that he wasn't going to question his reality anymore; he was going to live in it to the fullest.

He reached down for the hem of his own sweater and then the long-sleeved shirt underneath. "We have so many clothes on." He laughed at the realization that every part of both their bodies was covered in at least two, but mostly three layers.

"I know."

He heard the chatter in her teeth when she spoke, so he instantly ignored his own clothes and helped her divest herself of hers. "Here—you're shaking. Just get all this wet stuff off and get under the sheets. They're flannel so they should warm you up."

She nodded but said nothing more as she stripped down to her bra and panties. Much to his disappointment, Castle didn't get much of a look at her before she dove under the sheets and pulled them tightly around her. He took another minute to strip down to his boxers before joining her. When he felt the coolness of her skin, he actually forgot about how much he was enjoying being so close to nearly-naked-Beckett, and simply began to rub his hands vigorously across her arms and upper back.

"Come closer to me. I'm hot I can—ah!" he whimpered when he felt her ice-cold fingertips grab onto his waist.

"Sorry," she mumbled and yanked her hands back.

"No, no here—give them to me." He reached down and grasped both her hands with his, then brought them up to his lips so he could blow hot breath onto them while rubbing them on the outside. After several moments of this they no longer felt critically cold, so he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tightly. They settled with him on his back and her spooned against his side, her head against his shoulder and her right leg slung over his.

"Is this helping?" he asked quietly.

"Mmhm." She hummed and burrowed herself just a little bit closer to him.

He turned his head and pressed his lips against the top of her hair. When he looked down, he could see a red mark on her skin where her hair had separated and left the scalp visible. Frowning, he asked, "Are you sure your head is ok?"

"Yes. Feels okay. I don't have a cut, do I?"

"Maybe just a scrape; it's not bleeding."

"Good thing I had a hat on."

"Yeah."

They held each other close for the better part of ten minutes before Kate lifted her head, smiled lazily at him and said, "You're very warm."

He chuckled. "Thank you. Are you feeling better now?"

"Mmhmm." She nodded and shifted her position so that her leg was not just slung over one of his, but completely over his lips. She then adjusted her torso, so she was almost completely lying on top of him. His hands naturally fell to her hips and brushed against the top edge of her panties. When she smiled and rolled her hips against his, he gasped and felt his heart stutter, knowing with one hundred percent certainty in that instant that he was hers forever.

"You, um, just so I know—was this all you had in mind when you wanted me to warm you up?"

"No," she said with a slight laugh. Then, sitting up a bit, she reached behind her, popped the clasp on her bra, and tossed the item out from underneath the blankets.

"Shit," he groaned out quietly when her petite breasts bounced free.

She sat up even further, letting the sheet fall back and expose more of herself. Castle gazed not at her gorgeous breast, which were perfect in his opinion, but at the gnarled knot between them. When he'd tackled her in the snow half an hour earlier he hadn't even thought of that moment half a year before, but the action was mirrored quiet well. He'd almost lost her then, but now he was about to have her in the way he dreamed of for years.

Not wanting a moment of such significance to go by without acknowledgment, Castle pushed himself up so that he was half sitting and she slid down onto his thighs instead of across his hips. This act caused her to brush against the tip of him, the sensation practically setting his skin on fire. He wanted to take her then and there, hard and rough like he'd wanted for so long, but he couldn't. This moment wasn't about three years of pent up sexual tension, but love, devotion, and the beginning of a life-long promise.

He looped an arm around her back and cradled her close. As he rearranged their position, a curious expression crossed her face, but he merely quirked one of his lips in a playful smile before bowing his head to press his lips fully against the scar that remained from the sniper's bullet. She breathed in sharp. "I—I forgot. I can cover it if-"

"Why," he began, lifting his gaze, "would you ever cover it?" He didn't blink, he just looked at her with an intensity he hoped conveyed his feelings—that the scar was proof of her survival, and should be celebrated, not hidden. He loved every single inch of her and was about to show her how much.

Pressing his feet against the mattress, Castle began to lift his hips and moved his arms around her back to support her weight as he rolled them over. Once his weight was arranged so he wasn't crushing her, he kissed her scar again, then the spot just above, and the spot above that until he'd made it to her chin, at which point he moved his lips to hers. She kissed him back, let out a soft moan of want, and settled in, ready to share the best moments of their lives.

* * *

After dozing for what she hoped was only a few minutes, Kate opened her eyes to find her companion in a similarly relaxed state. He too was laying on his side with his hands tucked beneath his cheek, but his eyes remained closed. A smile tugging at her lips, Kate nibbled on her bottom one trying to keep it at bay, fearful it might explode not just as a smile but a chortle of glee, for she was so very happy.

She hadn't planned on telling Castle she loved him the moment they made it back to his place. Before the snow hit her, she thought maybe later that day over coffee or hot cocoa they might kiss or share some sort of romantic moment. Then she'd been clobbered by that snow and had mostly focused on getting warm again until the concern on her partner's face fully registered. He was worried about her and taking care of her without ever being asked. Suddenly her heart felt like it was going to explode if she didn't tell him. And then the rest…well, she wasn't complaining, that was for sure.

Unable to resist the urge much longer, Kate reached out and stroked her fingertip very gently across the edge of his jaw and then down onto the interior of his forearm. He grunted in acknowledgment, so she continued to stroke his arm for another thirty seconds until he finally opened his eyes, focused on her face, and grinned. "Hi."

"Hi."

"Are you warm now?"

She hummed and snuggled closer to her pillow. "Yes, very."

"Good." He then moved his hands so he could capture hers and bring it to his lips for a kiss. He held it there for a few moments, just gazing at her before sighing out, "You're so beautiful. I love you."

"I love you." She echoed reflexively, but then felt the niggling of guilt in her belly, so quickly followed it with, "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Because I should have told you sooner...I shouldn't have been so afraid. It seems so silly now. but I...I didn't trust it. I wasn't sure I deserved it…"

"What?" he lifted his head wearing an expression of concern. "Why? How?"

She pulled her hands back and tucked them around her chest while confessing, "Because…because I wasn't sure I could love you back the way you deserved. I'm...kind of a mess, Castle." She covered her face with her hands, but he immediately tried to peel them away.

"No, not a mess."

She gazed up at him, a bit guilty. "I didn't know how to open up after my mom died. I was afraid to hurt like that again and I let that consume me. Let it drive me for so long. I've been going to therapy."

"Therapy?" he repeated, his voice echoing with notable surprise.

She nodded. "Since the shooting. I...I heard you say you loved me."

"You..."

Her heart stuttered when she saw the hint of hurt cross his eyes. Reaching out to grip one of his hands, she continued with, "I'm sorry I let you believe I didn't but I...it was just too much for me to process and I thought, I thought maybe if you got closer to me you might...I don't know, might not love me when you saw all my scars."

He brought the tips of her fingers to his lips, kissed them, and then said, "Your scars are what make you, you."

From the sincerity in his voice, she believed him, but still felt that tiny twist of uncertainty in her belly, so she tried to explain her viewpoint, knowing that honesty was best. "I just made myself believe that everything was happening so fast. I was dying so of course you said-"

"No," he cut her off, gently shaking his head. "I mean, no, I've loved you for a while. From the moment we kissed. I knew...I knew you were what I waited my whole life for."

Kate felt her heart swell and tears pricked her eyes. Had any other man said that to her, she wouldn't have believed them. She would have been angry at them for telling her what she wanted to hear or, at best, not being honest with themselves enough to know that couldn't possibly be true. But with this man, with her partner, she knew he believed what he said, even though it might take her a little bit longer to get there herself.

Leaning her face into his, she kissed him softly and then confessed her own moment of reckoning. "I knew in LA. That night in the hotel. I knew I couldn't deny what I felt any longer, but I needed time."

He hummed and brushed his thumb over her knuckles. "So why now...writer's curiosity," he added with a small shrug when she quirked an eyebrow at him."

She took in a deep breath and pushed it out slow. Normally she would have never told, but that was the old Kate. The new Kate had to be open, had to challenge herself to be more emotionally fearless; it was the only way she'd find the happiness she wanted. "I...out in the snow: laughing, playing. I just looked at you and knew I couldn't hold back any longer. I want to be happy."

"I want you to be happy."

Nerves flitting through her belly, she asked, "And what about you?" In the past, she never would have questioned it, fear of the answer that might cause her pain, but now she knew she needed to have faith in him. In them. The positively deliriously happy expression that crossed his face told her she had made the right choice.

"Me? Oh, I'm very, very happy." He said as he slid his body over so it half-covered hers. He kissed her softly, then moved his lips to her cheek, where he kissed her again, before lifting his head with an unreadable expression.

"What?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing...I just thinking if this blizzard had been weeks ago, we might have been together longer."

She loved that he thought that; it was incredibly sweet, but it reminded her she'd jumped in a bit too headlong, and she still had some healing to do. She wasn't going to backtrack, merely proceed with caution. "That's very sweet but... I still need time. To take things slow."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Slow? I can go slow." She felt his hand graze down her body, lightly skim over her breast, then continue on its path down her stomach and over her hip. Meanwhile, he dipped his head, found the pulse point just below her jaw, and pressed his lips overtop. Just has she felt his tongue lightly graze the spot on her neck, his hand curled over her pubic bone and pressed against her; she gasped.

"Oh! Rick!"

He lifted his head and said deeply, "I like when you use my first name."

"So do I," she said before lifting her head and pressing her mouth against his.

* * *

Several hours later after forcing themselves from bed to clean up the mess of wet clothes left behind by their snow excursion, the in-love duo was cleaning up the last parts of their dinner before settling in to watch a movie on the couch for the evening. Their dance around each other in the kitchen was filled with flirtatious glances and stolen kisses and neither of them could have been happier about it.

After everything was cleaned up, they sat on the couch beneath a blanket draped over their laps. His arm was lightly draped over her back and her hand rested against her thigh. Just before the movie started, he brushed his lips against her cheek and sighed out, "I feel like this is how it's supposed to be."

"What is?"

"This. Life. It's supposed to be you and me with our wine under a blanket together."

She smiled softly, unable to disagree on any points. "That sounds good to me."

Two hours later, after the movie ended, Castle took their glasses to the kitchen and then returned to sit beside her. He picked up one of her hands, kissed the knuckles, then continued to hold it as he sighed and leaned his head against the back of the couch. "I guess the snow will be gone tomorrow."

An incredulous noise escaped her lips. "Are you serious? It'll take weeks to melt all of this."

"No, I mean from the streets. We won't be snowed in."

"Oh. Yes. I'm sure the roads will be cleared, and subways will be running by mid-day tomorrow."

"You'll go home?"

She nodded and pointed out, "I am out of clean clothes." After all, she was originally supposed to be away from home for just one night.

"I have a washer. And… I don't think you'll need many clothes."

"Castle," she half-scolded at his naughty eyebrow wiggle.

Sitting upright once more he slid closer to her and asked with utmost sincerity, "This is a thing now, right? Us."

"Yes."

"We're dating? Exclusively?"

"Of course," she told him. She hadn't thought about another man romantically in months, and she had no intentions to think about anyone else—particularly not after she discovered how incredible it was to be with him.

He leaned in and kissed her sweetly. Then, brushing his thumb lightly against her cheek, he concluded, "I'm really glad it snowed."

"Me too." Kate knew that with the progress she was making in therapy the time for the beginning of their relationship was imminent, but she also was glad to have the push of their snow day to bring it to fruition. That way they could close out the year as a couple and, more importantly, kick off the next year together.

* * *

**A/N** \- thank you all so much for reading! Happy 2020 Everyone!


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